Conventional puzzle cubes (sometimes referred to as magic cubes) have a central shaft and multiple blocks mounted on the central shaft in which the multiple blocks are pivotally rotatable with respect to the central shaft to generate diversified puzzles. Different colors and/or patterns are formed on the sides of each block. To solve a puzzle cube, users must rotate the blocks of the cube puzzle until each side of the puzzle cube shows a same color.
In a particular example, a conventional puzzle cube is a square cube having six sides each composed of nine moveable smaller surfaces arranged in three layers (3×3). Normally, the six sides of the square cube each have a different color—that is, the nine smaller blocks on one side are respectively in one color. When any layer is rotated to change the positions of the corresponding blocks, the small moveable areas on every side in this layer are moved respectively to another side of a different color, and the resulting sides have miscellaneous colors. The way to play with a conventional puzzle cube is to mix up the colors of the six sides of the puzzle cube and then to rotate the layers of the cube to move every group of moveable areas having the same color to their appropriate side, until each of the six sides of the square cube has its respective singular color.
There are, however, many instances (e.g., particularly in speedcubing or speed solving applications) in which these puzzle cubes fail. For example, a puzzle cube may not be properly tensioned, which can result in the blocks of a puzzle cube locking up or the blocks of a puzzle cube popping out from the remainder of the puzzle cube. To improve the performance of a puzzle cube, some users attempt to alleviate these issues by apply a lubricant to modify the amount of friction when manipulating a puzzle cube. For example, a lubricant (e.g., a lubricant having a high viscosity) can be applied that reduces the speed of the rotations when manipulating a puzzle cube, thereby making the puzzle cube more controllable by the user of the puzzle cube. In another example, a lubricant can be applied that reduces the amount of friction to increase the speed of the rotations when manipulating a puzzle cube.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a new puzzle cube and a method for making the same that alleviate the above-mentioned issues.